Please explain why YOU pay extra for specialty dining?

[SF BAY]

I must admit we always go at least twice during a 7 night sailing and 3 times on a TA. Especially on Jerk chicken night. We pay in advance and the way we see it your already paying over 2000 for your trip ,what's an extra 100. Never been disapointed yet and the last 2 sailing there was a buy one get one free dinner at Chops on the first night. We do change the evenings we go once we get onboard and we know for sure what the menus are for the week or formal nights but not to go would be like going to Italy and not tasting the food because you already paid for the food on the ship. JMHO

[katiel53]

We dine in the specialty restaurant, usually Portofino as the food in there is 100% better than that served in the MDR. The MDR used to have great food, now it is poor--no taste--not always hot or even warm--cheaper meats etc.

 

Another reason is that the specialty restaurants have some ambiance whereas the MDR is just noise and sometimes chaos. The service is also far better than the MDR. We eat at our own pace, not that of the waiter having many tables to serve. Our food is freshly cooked, not cooked, under heat lights, brought to the dining room in covered dishes and then sitting waiting for us to have the course. In the MDR the waiters bring food for several tables at once and even if we aren't ready for that course, the food is there getting cold or warm depending on the food.

 

We also like to order wine with dinner. In the MDR we wait and wait for a wine steward or whomever to come take the order. In Portofino, we order wine when we order dinner and it is there quickly. So many reasons for us to go there as opposed to eating in the MDR.

 

If there were more choices of specialty restaurants on Freedom, other than Portofino and Chops (we rarely go to Chops as we get great steaks here) we would be going to a different one nightly. The cost to us is a small price to pay for a nice dinner as opposed to going to Applebee's which is how we feel about the MDR.

[will773]

Why do you go out to eat when you can stay at home and cook?

 

Completely not even the same thing. At all.

[DaveG99]

I wish there was a fine dining restaurant where you could wear bathing suits and flip flops at. I hate dressing up but I like great food. I swear if someone opens up something like this they will make a fortune.

[Jimnbigd]

I don't. I'm happy with the MDR. The Fillet of Beef (1st formal night) was great last time.

[hazeleyez3]

I almost think that's something to worry about. We have the same "problem" here is Kansas - really phenomenal, locally sourced beef...we get good steaks on a regular basis and are spoiled. So, when you get to the ship and have a hunk of beef somewhere off the coast of Haiti, it's hard not to be disappointed. In that way, we found the steak to be the weakest part of our meal at Chops, without hesitation.

 

 

I have to agree with this. It is the same reason I didn't even think about eating at the Seafood Shack, and I just laugh at what the MDR calls crab cakes.

[Snorkel Dawg]

Just off Allure & we did it only because we had several hundred dollars OBC from our RCI VISA card. We opted for the Samba Grill which was incredible.

The experience was more intimate that the MDR & the meats were wonderful. Yet had we not the OBC I wouldn't have paid $25 PP to eat there. The food in the MDR was excellent IMO except for the NY Strip steak one evening, which was tough & dry. But my awesome waiter (Mary Lee Angles) quickly offered & brought to the table not one but two other main course (Mai Mai & Potato Gnoci) dishes which were great!

[Jimnbigd]

...The food in the MDR was excellent IMO except for the NY Strip steak one evening, which was tough & dry. But my awesome waiter (Mary Lee Angles) quickly offered & brought to the table not one but two other main course (Mai Mai & Potato Gnoci) dishes which were great!

And on my last Mariner cruise the NY Strip Steak was very good. So, order it, try it, and as the above poster said, order something else if it is not good. Did you try the onion soup that same night (probably the last night)? Mine was great, as were my two (count 'em) shrimp cocktails.

[Snorkel Dawg]

And on my last Mariner cruise the NY Strip Steak was very good. So, order it, try it, and as the above poster said, order something else if it is not good. Did you try the onion soup that same night (probably the last night)? Mine was great, as were my two (count 'em) shrimp cocktails.

 

Jimndigd-You bet I had the onion soup which was terrific! I also had shrimp in some form or another every night. Espically loved the mushroom puff pastry. And yes, lol I ordered another one :)

 

My comment about the NY strip is no way slamming the food in the MDR. Many times when I purchase steaks & grill them on my own grill. I'll accidentally over cook one & it becomes dry. Same goes for steak selection at the market. Until you bite into it, you just never know if it's really a good piece of meat.

 

I give kudos to the entire cooking staff of the Allure. IMO the food was excellent in the MDR. You should see what I've been eating since I got off the ship:eek:...that's another story!

[ItsAllAboutTheSass]

My lovely wife and I use it as a date night. It is refreshing to get out of the hustle and bustle of the main dining room.

[jnojr]

My mind just can't wrap around why anyone would want to pay extra for eating in a specialty restaurant when the food is so good (and included) in your cruise price for the MDR.

 

Too often, MDR food is not "good". It's acceptable. Unless going out to Applebee's is a special occasion for someone.

 

I do not go on cruises expecting the height of cuisine. But, sometimes, it's nice to have something that wasn't prepared for 2,000 people. I think the kitchen staff do an absolutely amazing job preparing food that's even just edible for a ship full of people. And they often exceed that, sometimes by quite a bit... there have been dishes that I was amazed at. But most of it is just something to eat, nothing special.

[grneyes]

Because it is great!!!!

Love the MDR too!

[tennis7]

After researching my upcoming cruise on Royal Caribbean (never been on Royal before), what bothers me is that so many of the restaurants are now charging fees. On my Princess cruises, there were a variety of places we could eat without additional fees.

[dfgf]

After researching my upcoming cruise on Royal Caribbean (never been on Royal before), what bothers me is that so many of the restaurants are now charging fees. On my Princess cruises, there were a variety of places we could eat without additional fees.

 

What ship will you be on?

[tennis7]

The Radiance to Alaska

[loubetti]

Cook for one, cook for 6,000, it's somewhat the same, provided proper staff, ingredients, facility, training and procedures. A lack of quality in the MDR is due to cut backs to force folks to the specialty restaurants, and otherwise reduce costs and increase profits.

 

The "they're cooking for several thousand" is no excuse.

 

I don't expect the "free" cruise cuisine to be "five star", not even 3 Michelin stars (that's the epitome of cuisine). I also have no problem with "comfort" food. A good meat loaf with mashed potatoes works for me, as long as it is good! A Pate de Foie Gras in aspic is another story. I would expect to pay extra for that.

 

Sorry, no 15 yard penalty for me! :rolleyes:

[cindyleigh]

MDR food on Voyager this week was good but not great. Then I ran into someone who ate at Portofinos and said it was so bad she cancelled her second reservation there.

[clean1owner]

I don't, and probably never will.

[DarthCruiser]

My mind just can't wrap around why anyone would want to pay extra for eating in a specialty resturaunt when the food is so good (and included) in your cruise price for the MDR.

 

Would love your reason's why. Though not sure if I can be converted to wanting to pay when there is free food. :)

 

 

 

 

There are several reasons:

1. The food and service are noticeably superior to the MDR. That does not mean that the MDR is poor, it's just that the specialty venues are better still.
   
2. We choose the "smart casual" option available in the specialty restaurants on all formal nights rather than ignoring the "suggested attire" on those nights. Formal nights are important to some folks so we try to be accommodating.
   
3. It adds variety to the cruise. Since we are fortunate enough to cruise fairly often, the MDR menus have become well known to us. ("Italian night" is not one of our favorites. :) )
   
4. As with most things in life, you get what you pay for. We find the experience to be worth the extra cash.
   

[BBQLover]

I've only done a Mediterranean cruise in the past and another one coming up so this is specific on that. I look at it this way, it's cheaper to be on the ship for 7 nights than it is to just pay for hotels in Europe for 7 nights (even being costs conscious it's so expensive there) not to mention I would have to pay for food, traveling from place to place to see the same things etc. so I see the cruise as being the cheaper option for lodging and traveling place to place some some "included" food options.

 

We do My Time Dining so it's not like we get consistent waiters in the MDR, I'm not too keen on the Formal night, I mean dressing up formal to eat at "Applebee's" doesn't appeal to me, the food in the MDR isn't too bad, but spending $30 per person to get a more personalized/intimate service/better quality food in a better atmosphere at one of the specialty restaurants is a no brainer.

 

I mean, I'm already flying from NA to Europe to go on a cruise, what's another hundred or so for Chops a couple of night :)

[Gilgo Surfer]

I've only done a Mediterranean cruise in the past and another one coming up so this is specific on that. I look at it this way, it's cheaper to be on the ship for 7 nights than it is to just pay for hotels in Europe for 7 nights (even being costs conscious it's so expensive there) not to mention I would have to pay for food, traveling from place to place to see the same things etc. so I see the cruise as being the cheaper option for lodging and traveling place to place some some "included" food options.

 

We do My Time Dining so it's not like we get consistent waiters in the MDR, I'm not too keen on the Formal night, I mean dressing up formal to eat at "Applebee's" doesn't appeal to me, the food in the MDR isn't too bad, but spending $30 per person to get a more personalized/intimate service/better quality food in a better atmosphere at one of the specialty restaurants is a no brainer.

 

I mean, I'm already flying from NA to Europe to go on a cruise, what's another hundred or so for Chops a couple of night :)

 

Although I have never been to an Applebee's in your neck of the woods, I be willing to bet $$$ they are nothing like the MDR on a cruise ship.

 

It is simply an inaccurate comparison both in food and ambiance.

[DonnaK]

Although I have never been to an Applebee's in your neck of the woods, I be willing to bet $$$ they are nothing like the MDR on a cruise ship.

 

It is simply an inaccurate comparison both in food and ambiance.

 

My thoughts exactly!

 

The Applebee's comparison is a huge exaggeration. So is the talk about the MDR being chaotic - we eat in the MDR every night and never had an experience in the MDR where it was too noisy or in a state of chaos.

[DonnaK]

After researching my upcoming cruise on Royal Caribbean (never been on Royal before), what bothers me is that so many of the restaurants are now charging fees. On my Princess cruises, there were a variety of places we could eat without additional fees.

 

Don't worry - if you like the main dining room, buffet, international cafe, etc on Princess, it is comparable on Royal Caribbean (except for the pizza, which is definitely superior on Princess!) The two lines have the same included places to eat. We never pay additional fees for food on RCL, and we are perfectly satisfied with the included choices.

[Big_G]

Although I have never been to an Applebee's in your neck of the woods, I be willing to bet $$$ they are nothing like the MDR on a cruise ship.

 

It is simply an inaccurate comparison both in food and ambiance.

 

Sorry but Applebee's food is over seasoned crap. If you didn't read it on the menu, you wouldn't know what you're eating. I can't eat it and there is no comparison to any cruise ship dining room food I've ever had. I've heard this silly comparison over and over. MDR isn't fine dining but get serious it isn't that crap from Applebee's, Chilis, or any other of those sit down fast food joints.

[Gilgo Surfer]

Sorry but Applebee's food is over seasoned crap. If you didn't read it on the menu, you wouldn't know what you're eating. I can't eat it and there is no comparison to any cruise ship dining room food I've ever had. I've heard this silly comparison over and over. MDR isn't fine dining but get serious it isn't that crap from Applebee's, Chilis, or any other of those sit down fast food joints.

 

I actually enjoy Chillies and Out Back (Applebee's not really). I like to sit at the bar and have drinks and apps.

 

As far as comparing these casual theme restaurants to a cruise ship's main dining room, it might be giving someone the wrong idea. There are people that come to these boards to plan their first cruise(as I once did). Why would experienced cruisers tell them that the MDR is similar to Applebee's?